How-To Geek
5 adrenaline-inducing Prime Video movies to watch this week (August 3-9)
If you’re craving a rush of pure adrenaline, we've got some selections that will deliver the kind of edge-of-your-seat intensity that refuses to let up. From dizzying, first-person chaos to globe-spanning, pulse-pounding survival stakes, you’ll find yourself thrown headfirst into high-risk, high-reward storytelling, with a bit of nostalgia and introspection included.
This self-hosted dashboard lets me trigger shell commands without typing anything
For programmers, shell scripts offer a perfect combination of power and simplicity. With a simple script, you can run any program, pipe its output to another program, carry out basic logic, and store results in files. Most common tasks that you might ever repeat can be automated with ease.
I love my Kindle, but I still don't buy eBooks from Amazon
I can't say I'm a big fan of Amazon, but it's hard to deny that Kindle eReaders are pretty great. Despite my feelings about the company, I have a Kindle Paperwhite. However, I don't buy any ebooks from Amazon—that's the line I draw. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to do.
I built 3 context-aware MacroDroid automations that actually understand my day
Most phone automation apps want you to build routines around fixed schedules or simple triggers. That works fine, but a phone should feel a lot smarter by this point. What actually makes a phone feel smart is when it reads the situation instead of just the clock. MacroDroid can do that and other things, and there are automations that can be built around conditions that actually reflect how your day moves.
My 2026 homelab tour—UniFi routers, multiple NAS servers, and so much more
I've been homelabbing for over five years now, and my homelab has taken many forms. In mid-2026, it's something entirely different than it was when I started in early 2021. Here's a tour of the hardware that makes my homelab possible, and why I use it.
I stopped using Ubuntu for self-hosting and traded it for this lightweight alternative
For most of the last few decades, RAM and storage have been the cheap part of building a homelab. It was the CPU or GPU that really added cost. The opposite is true today, and I've totally revamped how I run my homelab. One of the most important changes has been to swap out Ubuntu for something much more efficient.
PC makers are ruining Windows, and Microsoft finally needs to do something about it
When Microsoft intervened after LG was accused of using monitors to install adware, that was a wake-up call. Windows 11 is finally getting better after years of complaints, but PC and component makers aren't. And it's not just junk software that creates problems — it's shoddy designs that make Windows look bad, and disjointed customer support that pushes users to the breaking point.
People are 3D printing life-sized dinosaur skeletons with free Smithsonian models
The enthusiasm for dinosaurs never seems to get old, which feels like an ironic thing to say considering the dinos were gone long before our ancestors decided to stand up and walk on only two legs.
7 Excel tricks that are offensively simple (but surprisingly effective)
Some Excel features are buried in menus and settings. Others are so simple that discovering them feels embarrassing. These seven tricks take seconds to learn but can make you wonder why nobody mentioned them sooner.
Bambu Lab A2L Review: More than just an A1 XL
The Bambu Lab A1 has finally grown up in more ways than one. The Bambu Lab A2L offers several meaningful upgrades over its predecessor, only one of which is the significantly increased print volume. After spending several weeks with the A2L, I can confidently say this is one of the best budget large-format printers money can buy.
You can use Windows 11 as a router in a pinch, and it works better than you'd expect
Maybe your home router died at an inconvenient time, you're in a hotel room that only has a single Ethernet jack and terrible Wi-Fi, or you're in a new place without internet.
These 5 car accessories are cheaper and faster to print than order from Amazon
Your car is the perfect place to put your 3D printer to work. From utility items like sunglasses clips and phone holders, to fun things like take-out sauce cup holders, here are five fun projects to 3D print for your car.
5 new Netflix shows to watch in August
Just like the list of new movies for this month, Netflix also has a great lineup of new and returning shows in August. Later in the month, the streamer says goodbye to the Pogues, who plan to go out in a fiery fifth and final season.
3 reasons I'm quitting Arch Linux—after using it for 5 years
I've been using Linux for a decade now, and around the five-year mark, I went all-in on Arch. I daily drove Garuda Linux for four of those years, dabbled with CachyOS and a few other Arch-based distros, wrote a small mountain of articles about Arch-based distros, and told anyone who would listen to give them a shot. And while it's been a good run, I think it's finally time to call it quits. I figure I owe you all an explanation, and it really boils down to three reasons.
These 5 changes unlocked 100 percent of Claude's power
Large language models entered the mainstream when OpenAI wrapped one in a chat window and called it ChatGPT. The interface was so intuitive that everyone copied it, and it's still how most people think about AI: you type a question, you get an answer. But a lot has changed since then.
USB-C was great for laptops, but not desktops
USB-C has been a game changer for electronics like phones, laptops, and other small devices, but the same isn't true for desktop PCs. After going through the trouble of adding a USB-C port to my slightly-older PC, I've only used it a handful of times, and I frequently find myself wondering if it was worth the fuss.
Samsung finally admitted what Motorola already knew about flip phones
Samsung has dominated foldable phones for years, but it's conceding one of its thrones to Motorola with the Galaxy Z Flip 8. It's not just that this is a mostly warmed-over design with a higher price tag. It's that Samsung has ditched the "budget" FE model right as Razr phones have become more compelling than ever, often at a lower cost. If I want a clamshell foldable phone in the modern era, I go with Moto.
I tried boycotting Sony over physical media, but it's harder than it sounds
In case you've been living under a proverbial rock (or have a life, I guess), you're probably aware of the vocal backlash Sony is experiencing right now after it announced the date for the end of new PlayStation 5 game disc production.
These 5 lightweight Linux distros make Windows feel so bloated
While many people think Linux performs better than Windows, it depends on the distribution. Some of them have system requirements that rival modern versions of Windows. These distros are lean and mean. They're great for fast modern machines or wringing more use of out of older computers.
3 Bambu Lab tinkering projects that unlock features the company never advertised
Are you looking for some ways to tinker with your Bambu Lab 3D printer? You're in luck! Even though Bambu has made some functions a bit harder to access, there's actually a lot of ways to tinker with your Bambu Lab 3D printer, and here are three of my favorite projects.


